New Xbox May Feature Siri-Like Voice Recognition

Thursday, February 7, 2013

With Sony and Microsoft set to release new gaming consoles this year, the rumor mill is already swirling with speculation. The latest hints are that the new XBox 720 will feature voice control systems that rival that of Apple's Siri, and open up a whole new potential for user interaction.

The Verge has reported that Microsoft will greatly improve its speech recognition technology inside the next Xbox. Sources familiar with Microsoft's Xbox plans have revealed that Durango, the codename for the next Xbox, will support wake on voice, natural language controls, and speech-to-text. The improved capabilities mean that Xbox users will be able to walk into a room and simply say "Xbox on" to wake up the new Xbox.

Microsoft is also investigating scenarios where a Kinect Sensor
will detect individuals in a room and suggest appropriate multiplayer games after a user queries the Xbox using voice.

The support will include natural language detection, similar to Apple's Siri service, that will let users ask things like "what are my friends playing" to receive a friends list.

Rumor has it Xbox will also reply back to users with answers to questions, essentially making it a voice activated search engine as well.
Users will also be able to automatically resume video content where it left off simply by asking the new Xbox to play a particular movie. With speech-to-text built-in, it's likely that Microsoft will utilize this support to type out messages using the new Xbox.

Could this be the new Xbox 720?

It's widely expected that Skype will make its Xbox debut on the new console. With the concurrent heavy development Microsoft is currently working on for Lync there could be considerable overlap with teleconferencing features as well.

Microsoft will fully detail its new Xbox at the E3 expo this year, with suggestions from sources that the company may hold a separate event to unveil its new hardware ahead of E3. The new Xbox is expected to be released later this year.